Fantasies
by Lady Silverbird
Summary: They say that everyone has a fantasy, even if they don't realise it. When Jenny asks a certain professor what his fantasy is, she gets a rather interesting answer...


**A/N: okay, this bit was inspired by the scene in 1x06 after the Predator attacked Connor in the truck. Cutter made a reference to **_**Star Wars,**_** and then, boom! Totally off-the-wall fic idea. Please review!**

* * *

"Nick, have you ever had any…fantasies?"

Surprised by the sudden question, Nick Cutter glanced up from his book at Jenny; the dark-haired woman was stretched out beside him in bed, propped up on one elbow to look at him curiously. "Uhm, why are you asking?" he wondered, bemused. They had been seeing each other for several months now, though the rest of the team still didn't know anything about it, but this was the first time she'd ever asked him something like _that._

She shrugged, her fingers idly tracing a pattern on the bedspread. "I dunno. Just curious, I suppose. I know enough about men to know they all have some sort of fantasy they'd like to see come true," she replied, glancing up at him through her lashes in an almost coy way. "And I'm wondering if you have one."

His mind instantly conjured up an answer, but he bit the inside of his mouth in order to keep from blurting it out. There was no way in hell he would _ever_ tell her about the one fantasy he'd always had; he had never even told Helen about it, and they'd been _married,_ for God's sake. Shaking his head, he looked back at his book. "No, not really," he lied.

She wasn't falling for it, though. "Nick," she scolded. "I know when you're lying to me." Jenny reached out and pulled the novel from his hands, tossing it to the foot of the bed out of reach. "Come on, then. Tell."

"No." And he meant _hell,_ no.

Unfortunately for him, she wasn't going to give in that easily. Scooting closer to him, she grasped his arm and put her head on his shoulder. "Please, tell me?" she implored, and when he shook his head stubbornly, she heaved a sigh. But then a spark of inspiration shone in her eyes. She moved a little closer, running her fingers over his chest. "Y'know, if you did tell me," she informed him matter-of-factly, "I might just do it."

For a moment or so, he was silent, weighing the pros and cons of telling her about the one fantasy he'd had since he was a teenager. On one hand, she might actually dress up for him…but on the other hand, she might just laugh at him and take the mick about it for the rest of _eternity_. Finally, though, he let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, I'll tell you, but don't you _dare_ laugh," he answered firmly, turning to stare at her.

Her eyebrows shot up, but she nodded. "Okay."

"Promise you won't laugh, Jenny. I mean it," he insisted.

"Alright, I promise I won't laugh," she vowed solemnly, but her eyes were bright with excitement. It wasn't easy getting the professor to talk about things like this, and she always felt a little giddy when she did manage to get him to open up.

Taking a deep breath, he asked quietly, "Have you ever seen _Return of the Jedi?"_

Jenny tilted her head. "The…the _Star Wars_ film?" she asked incredulously, and he nodded. Of all the things in the world she'd expected him to say, asking her about a _Star Wars_ film was definitely _not_ one of them. "I-I've heard of it, yeah, but I've never seen any of them. Why?" She was really starting to wonder where exactly he was going with this.

"Well, there's, uhm, there's a scene where Princess Leia is taken prisoner," he began, unable to look directly at her as he twisted his fingers around the edge of the bedspread. "In the first two films, she always wore these long-sleeved, floor-length, neck-high dresses, but in _Return of the Jedi,_ when she's taken prisoner by Jabba, she's wore…well, she wore this gold chain metal bikini, and…." He blew out a heavy breath, shaking his head.

Jenny was fighting down a smile, one hand pressed to her mouth, biting her tongue so hard she tasted blood to keep herself from laughing—she had promised, after all. When she was sure that she could keep it together, she lowered her hand from her mouth and raised her gaze back to him. Cutter was still mangling the edge of the bedspread nervously, obviously afraid that she'd make fun of him. "Princess Leia?" was all she asked.

He groaned and put his head back on the pillows, throwing one arm over his eyes. "I know it sounds like something Connor would say, but…hell, Jenny, I was thirteen years old when _Return of the Jedi_ came out, and when I saw her in that outfit, that was the most bare skin I'd seen on a woman in my life at the time," he admitted. It was the truth, too. He had been thirteen years old and had spent near all his allowance to see the film in the theatre. He'd had a bit of a crush on Carrie Fisher at the time, and when he saw her in a chain bikini, lying across that cushion…it practically gave him a kick-start on puberty.

Biting her lip on a smile, she shook her head slowly. "You're right. That does sound like something Connor would say," she agreed.

"Just forget I said anything, alright?" he muttered.

"I never would have pegged you for a _Star Wars_ geek, Nick."

"Shut it and go to sleep, would you?"

* * *

Cutter felt wonderfully relieved to finally be home; he'd been at the ARC for the past twenty-four hours, and he had only just managed to duck out before Lester tossed another load of paperwork his way. It was nearly two weeks after his reluctant confession, and Jenny had yet to bring it up again. In honesty, Cutter was rather hoping that she'd forgotten about it. To her credit, she hadn't laughed at him when he told her about his fantasy, though she'd still teased him about it that first night. Sighing in relief, he flopped down on the bed without even bothering to take off his boots, hands folded behind his head.

"Hey, Nick," called Jenny's voice from the bathroom. "I've got something for you, love. It got here today."

"Really? What is it?" he wondered, sitting up.

The bathroom door swung open, and she cleared her throat pointedly. He raised his head to look at her…. His throat closed up and his mouth went dry, hands fisting on the bed sheet compulsively. Like something straight out of his fantasy, she was standing in the doorway to his bedroom in the gold chain metal bikini from _Return of the Jedi_, one pale arm leaning against the doorframe. She even had on the leather boots and the shimmering gold jewelry at her wrists and arms. Her thick dark hair was in a long braid draped over one shoulder just like in the film, complete with the golden crown stuck in her hair. She lightly ran her fingers over her exposed thigh, following the curve of her hip to the slim gold chain. "I take it you like it, then?" she asked.

He couldn't speak, only making a weak croaking noise, and hastily nodded.

Jenny laughed softly, smiling at him with full lips the rich red colour of a Christmas ribbon. "Yeah, I thought you would. I ordered it online. I'd have done this sooner, but it took longer than I thought for it to get here," she said, reaching up to play with the end of her braid. When she saw how he still stared, gaping like a fish out of water, she chortled again, voice soft and husky.

Finally, he managed to snap out of his entrancement, at least, well enough for him to speak. "You don't think I'm…odd at all, wanting this?" he asked, his voice a bit strained.

Jenny laughed again. "Nick, I _know_ that you're odd. But I love you anyways," she answered, then straightened up, placing both hands on her hips. "Now, Professor, I think that you are far too overdressed. Clothes off."

"Your wish is my command, Princess."

* * *

The next day, the professor was in such an uncharacteristically good mood that the other members of the team were starting to wonder if someone had spiked his morning coffee. Even Lester took notice of Cutter's unusually jovial mood, and was just as baffled as the rest of them. Jenny was the only person who didn't seem at all surprised, which was quite confusing as well.

Finally, Stephen glanced over at her and asked, "What do you suppose has gotten into him?"

Jenny gave him a sly grin that suggested she knew far more than he let on and gave a delicate, nonchalant shrug. "There was a disturbance in the Force."


End file.
